Abstract:
As we begin to renew and reuse abandoned sites and empty skeletons in urban areas throughout the world, we need to find ways to marry old and new architecture. They need to become one cohesive fabric with cooperation between the new foreground elements and the older established features. A hybrid building will be created with the emotional comfort of its historical roots and excitement of new elements. It will combine contextual and environmental factors in order to compliment and celebrate its surroundings. It is important not to simply recreate the older style but to allow an addition to fit with its environment by taking elements and concepts and renewing them. It is through the use of scale, material and connection that the synthesis takes place. The scale of the overall structure and its elements needs to be respected to keep the new from overpowering the established spaces. Also the use of similar materials in a new or technologically advanced way can help form a cohesive urban fabric. Connecting the building elements in such a way that is reminiscent of the vocabulary created by the existing architecture will help unify the two styles. Reinvention of historical concepts with a modern way of thinking creates a platform by which these threads can become interwoven. Through these methods a formula for a united urban experience can be found.
